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Charging for DIY waste has been linked to an increase in fly-tipping by one Surrey borough council.

Spelthorne Borough Council (SBC) has found a correlation between a steady increase in reported fly tips since charges were brought in for residents using Charlton Lane recycling centre in 2016.

But officers stressed it could also be due to better communication and reporting.

Surrey County Council (SCC) brought in the charges for residents to dump more than one bag of construction waste such as plasterboard, bricks, rubble and tiles.

Charges introduced at recycling centres have been linked to a rise in fly-tipping (Image: Richard T Harris)

Trade waste for Charlton Lane CRC (Community Recycling Centre) in Shepperton was stopped with tipping points for businesses being moved to Epsom, Guildford and Leatherhead.

Officers say that while there is no evidence to suggest the changes in 2016 have had a direct impact, it is “reasonable to say it is possible”.

Spelthorne’s monitoring of fly-tipping has seen a steady increase in the number of reported fly tips since the changes at Charlton Lane CRC, according to a report.

Presenting the report to councillors at SBC overview and scrutiny committee on Tuesday (March 19), Jackie Taylor, group head of neighbourhood services, said the link could also be attributed to improved monitoring and reporting of fly-tipping, greater communication, and more awareness.

Surrey County Council is reviewing how CRCs are used (Image: Darren Pepe)

But she said there could be a correlation.

Numbers of fly-tipping are up 43% from 735 in 2016 to 1,050 in 2018.

She said: “When the charges were introduced in late 2016, over the years there has been a marked increased in the number of fly tips being reported. So there could be a correlation with what happened at Charlton Lane, but it could also be because of the distinction between what is defined as fly-tipping and what is defined as littering that has changed recently.”

And she said they were now “more-proactive” with dealing with fly tipping and there were a “number of reasons” why the increase would be recorded.

Cllr Richard Smith-Ainsley said it was SCC’s view that “charging at the recycling centre has no bearing at all on fly-tipping.